Friday, October 30, 2015

WEEK #2 IN LYON, FRANCE

Wow! What a super fast week! I don't even know where to start!
This week has included getting a new ami, and setting a baptism date with him,
driving over to Switzerland to meet the General Relief Society President and a
member of the Seventy.

Also Imagine Dragons is also playing in the concert hall just down
the street from our apartment tonight! So hopefully they’ll play music loud.

Alright now get to the details. We called a guy who contacted the
missionaries in the mall a few days ago. He was referred to us. So we met him on Tuesday. His name is Gabriel
and he moved here from Toulouse. He was born in Nigeria and speaks mostly
English. He's 20 and is so cool!:)

We met him near his apartment and we went inside and talked with
him. He knew the missionaries in Toulouse, and had a Book of Mormon. He knew a
lot of basics of the gospel. So we were
able to jump into his needs.

Basically he wants to have good influences, and has a desire to be
baptized. So we have decided to be his best friends!

So that's Gabriel! Super awesome guy.

For this week:

Tuesday: we dropped a dryer to some sisters inLyon. That took
up the whole morning. One sister knows my cousin John Passey from Utah really
well, and the other sister is from Scotland. So I had her pronounce my name
correctly.

Turns out the dryer didn’t work, so we didn’t really know what to
do... We have no others to give...:/

Later that day we had the first meeting with Gabriel. (See
beginning of the letter)

Wednesday: we went and picked up around 12 tires from one of the
office couples. We then drove to Geneva to drop them off at the Mission
Mansion. (Swiss mission
home)

Then we went to Ikea to eat lunch. We were to meet a senior couple
there to help them get a bed.

We then followed them home and set up the bed for them.

Elder and Sister Austin then gave us cans of root beer! It's been
10 months since I had real root beer!

We then went to a Kebab truck they recommended. It is my favorite
one so far! The owner is 24 years old and speaks great English!

I call it the “Ghost” Kebab because no one knows of it.

We then drove home because it was late.

Thursday: we had zone training. So we drove to the church. We got
a cool trifold pamphlet for our Amis to teach the path towards being worthy to
go to the temple. It's only in English right now, so it's kinda hard to use. We
then talked about how to teach simply! Always a good thing to practice...We had
breakfast for lunch, and then we had to leave to go meet up with Gabriel at the
Institute building.

We met up and taught him the plan of salvation. We were talking,
and he stopped and said he had an off topic question. He
asked whatwould
happen if his dad dies without being baptized.

So we stopped plan of salvation and cut straight to the temple. We
pulled out the trifold temple pamphlet, and we taught him about baptisms for
the dead. He said he wants to do that, so we put his name on the pamphlet, and
set his baptism date for the 21st of November!:)

We ended there, and then we played some ping pong. He never lost a
game. He's too good!

But that was a great day! I think we were the first companionship
in the mission to use the trifold pamphlet to get a baptism date and goal
towards the temple! We only got the thing a few hours earlier!

Friday: we went up to Lausanne which is an hour north of Geneva.
We had to set up beds for the zone leaders and move a fridge. I drove there
fromLyon.
Driving through the canyons with all the changing trees in the fall is so
beautiful!

The two Swiss Zones had a special conference with a member of the Elder
David P. Homer of the Quorum of the Seventy, and Relief Society General
President Linda K. Burton

We drove to the Lausanne chapel to get some keys from a few
companionships so we could set up the requested items. All the general
authorities and missionaries there were at tables eating. When elder Steadman
and I walked in wearing our hoodies, shorts, and colorful socks, everyone
stopped and stared. Then we saw our friends and went up and talked to
them.

President Brown was there and pulled us to the side. He said he
wanted us to stay, and said we were in our uniform because we were fulfilling
our calling :) Mission work in shorts, I like it!

We told president about Gabriel and how he wants to go to the
temple and be baptized. President was super happy! It was great to show him we
do other stuff besides driving and moving things ;)

We were then introduced to Sister Burton and her husband. It was
weird to meet them formally in informal clothes wearing only my two hoodies and
shorts. It was really funny and cool!

We had some food, talked with old friends, and even saw my MTC
companion Elder Tomlinson! It's been 7 months since I last saw him!

We all then went into the chapel to have the conference. Elder
Steadman and I sat in the very back of the chapel, we didn't want to bring any
more attention to ourselves. Everyone was in suits, and we were in the back
sitting comfortable in our gym clothes.

President got up and made his opening remarks. He then asked Elder
Steadman and I to come up and tell our experience with Gabriel with the General
Authorities and the missionaries. Kinda scary and embarrassing to speak in casual
clothes, especially in front of the relief society president!

After the conference we had to head back to Geneva Zone leaders to
set up thebunk beds. After that, we got another
ghost kebab!

We then drove back to Lausanne to sleep at the other Zone Leaders
apartment.

Saturday: we replaced he fridge the ZLs, and then we had to drive
to Geneva and set up drawers for the Austin Couple. That took all afternoon. We
had more root beer and brownies! It's my first time being around senior
couples! I love it! We are the grandkids during their mission.

We had to drive home quickly after to go meet up with Gabriel and
show him the church. We picked up Elders Hansen and Sorenson who were inLyonfor Stake conference the next day. So
we all went and met Gabriel at the church. It was locked and we didn't know the
code. So we stood outside and did a small lesson on prayer.

We all testified on how prayer is something we can always do. How
we can get help from it. Gabriel took it great! Heis such a
cool guy! He says he loves to be with us because he feels good about it! I
know he is feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost. We all left, and the
Grenoble elders came home with us.

Sunday: us four missionaries went and met up with Gabriel and we
went to a convention center inLyonto have
stake conference. We found spots up front, and listened. It was all in
French. Sister brown spoke and that was in English. It was translated by
President. Then Elder Homer the Seventy member back in Lausanne was there and
spoke in english. He talked about Christ, and Gabriel was listening to every
word.

After the conference we brought Gabriel to meet President Brown,
and he talked to Gabriel about how he knows we are teaching the truth. Gabriel
agreed and said he felt it was true.

We then introduced him to Elder Homer, and the stake president who
is in our ward actually! Also to other missionaries, and anyone else who was
cool. Gabriel plays basketball, so we introduced him to Elder Haws who will
play for BYU when he comes home.

So for Gabriel's first time at a church meeting inLyon, he met the
mission president, stake president, and even a member of the seventy. That is
almost sounds like Utah! Sister brown wants him over to play ping pong,
so hopefully we can do that soon!

We went home, and said goodbye to Gabriel. Elder Hansen and
Sorenson were with us again, so we made a nice Sunday meal. Homemade pizza,
with homemade pizza dough! With cheesy potato soup :) It turned out
great!

After dinner, we said goodbye to the other elders, and elder Steadman
and I took the metro to the church. We met Gabriel there and we showed him
around. We then sat down and went over the restoration.

We summarized it, because he knows it pretty well. But we focused
on the Book of Mormon. He said he read after the stake conference, and we just
encouraged him to keep reading and praying!

We finished, and went home. All in all, it was a great week! Lots
of traveling, and teaching!

Well, as you can see from our new engagé Gabriel, the spirit works
fast, and can touch the heart of anyone!

Seek the spirit out! Because you will find it!

I love you all, and I know Christ is real, and he helps even the
missionaries who drive over the country in hoodies, gym shorts and colorful
socks.